In the meat processing industry it has been a common practice for many years to form meat into rolls or "logs", as they are called, with various cross-sectional shapes. Processed lunchmeats are probably the most familiar example of this. Ham, chicken and turkey are formed into round or square logs for sale by individual slicing in delicatessens, or sliced and pre-packaged for sale in supermarkets. In the marketing of pre-packaged frozen meats where portion control is desired, beef and pork are also formed into desired cross-sectional shapes and then are sliced into individual portions of uniform size and shape.
Economical handling and processing of pre-packaged slices from meat logs requires a slicing mechanism which can operate at high speeds and deliver meat slices of consistent quality with selective adjustment for thickness of cut. In order to present attractive packaging, the meat slices must be perfectly flat with no curving of the meat surface. There are many conventional slicing machines available, but the principal drawback with the available machinery is the speed and efficiency of operation and the appearance of the sliced product.